Chapter 465: Chapter 464: Divine Transformation Cave and Black Bee
As a high-level figure in Divine Transformation City, one is not really idle.
It was not until this moment that Shi Xiaole learned that every three months, the experts from the City Lord Mansion needed to perform a cleaning task in Divine Transformation Cave.
"Vice City Lord Shi may not be aware, though the Divine Transformation Tree can resist the Transformation Flower, its roots happen to be connected to a large field of mutant Transformation Flower seeds that cannot be moved, and these flowers can bloom at any time. Once they bloom, even if a martial artist takes an Energy Gathering Pill, it will not help."
"To prevent this, hundreds of years ago, our ancestors dug out a Divine Transformation Cave and established the practice that every three months, experts from the City Lord Mansion would take turns to clean it."
The middle-aged Vice City Lord explained this to Shi Xiaole via telepathy.
The mutated Transformation Flower seeds are extremely resilient, and ordinary experts cannot eliminate them. The Qi they emit can cause death, so only the City Lord Mansion’s experts can undertake this task.
After all, if the mutated Transformation Flowers spread, it would be detrimental to everyone.
"I see."
Shi Xiaole looked around and found that everyone was keeping their heads down.
The experts who had previously visited the Divine Transformation Cave rarely returned in one piece. Either they suffered great losses in their cultivation and took years to recover, or they disappeared without a trace, their fate unknown.
As a result, the rotation schedule was quickly disrupted due to the reduced number of people. Over time, the cleaning task became a hot potato that no one wanted to handle.
In the silence, Weng Ming stepped forward and addressed the man in the purple robe with a fist salute, "City Lord, in my opinion, fairness is essential in every matter. Everyone present has performed the Divine Transformation Cave task except for one person. Why not let him go this time?"
As if in agreement, all eyes turned to Shi Xiaole.
Many people wanted to speak but held back, probably afraid that Shi Xiaole would settle accounts after the event, so no one spoke.
"This sentiment is reasonable. Vice City Lord Shi, you will lead this mission. Any objections?"
Upon hearing Weng Ming’s words, the man in the purple robe asked without hesitation, though his tone left no room for refusal.
Everyone waited with bated breath and a sense of nervousness.
No one dared to defy the City Lord’s orders. They only hoped that Shi Xiaole would be wise enough not to involve everyone else.
An intense pressure pushed against Shi Xiaole, causing the air in the hall to stagnate. Without much hesitation, Shi Xiaole said with a fist salute, "I acknowledge my duty."
"Hahahaha, Vice City Lord Shi indeed knows the greater good. In that case, Elder Ye and Elder Ma will be your deputies. You three will lead a hundred experts. Set off tomorrow."
The man in the purple robe, his eyes flashing beneath his mask, issued the command and left the room.
Everyone sighed in relief, greeted Shi Xiaole in a perfunctory manner, and left the hall with light steps.
Weng Ming glanced at Shi Xiaole, his old face filled with an uncontrollable sneer.
People who had never been to Divine Transformation Cave could never imagine how mysterious it was inside, solving the mysteries there was beyond mere martial arts. If not for his vast experience in the martial world, he would have fallen victim long ago.
Now, Weng Ming’s only hope was that Shi Xiaole wouldn’t die inside, but exit with a great loss in his cultivation. When that happened, Weng Ming would have plenty of ways to deal with him.
The appointed Elder Ye and Elder Ma both wore gloomy expressions. Watching the others leave one after another, they reluctantly stood beside Shi Xiaole, shaking their heads and sighing heavily.
"Both of you, is the Divine Transformation Cave really that terrifying?"
Shi Xiaole asked.
Elder Ye said, "Vice City Lord Shi, Divine Transformation Cave is not scary, it’s mysterious. Years ago, I went there with another elder. He disappeared without a trace and has not been found to this day."
Elder Ma also said, "Tomorrow, when we enter the cave, we must stick together at all times for mutual assistance."
The words of the two elders made Shi Xiaole feel even more solemn.
As it was impossible to refuse today, he was certain the City Lord would make a move against him. Even if he could escape, the journey would be very difficult.
As the Vice City Lord, Shi Xiaole could get fifty Energy Gathering Pills every month.
However, he already knew that these Energy Gathering Pills, supposedly able to resist the Transformation Flower, only lasted for three days. Furthermore, if taken too frequently, the body would build a resistance, and the effects would diminish.
Otherwise, if enough Energy Gathering Pills could be produced, the people of Boundless Flower Prison would have escaped long ago.
Therefore, under the current circumstances, Shi Xiaole could only patiently wait for the right opportunity.
The night passed quickly.
The next day, led by Shi Xiaole, along with Elder Ye and Elder Ma and a hundred Xuanqi Realm martial artists, they left the City Lord Mansion and arrived at a hill.
In the middle of the hill stood a towering tree, a hundred meters tall with a trunk ten meters thick. The slender branches were intertwined so tightly that sunlight could not penetrate.
Many scantily clad men and women were busy picking tree barks under the watchful eyes and scolding tones of overseers.
This was the Divine Transformation Tree.
"Such strong suppression of spirit."
Presumably, it was because of the proximity to the Divine Transformation Tree that Shi Xiaole felt such a strong suppression of spirit power. It was as if he was trapped in an invisible prison.
Next to the Divine Transformation Tree, there was a long tunnel dug out by humans. Around it stood rows of City Lord Mansion’s experts. Seeing Shi Xiaole’s arrival, they quickly saluted and cleared the path.
"Vice City Lord Shi, you must not walk too fast."
As soon as they entered the Divine Transformation Cave, Elder Ye and Elder Ma became nervous and immediately ordered the hundred experts to surround them and Shi Xiaole in the center.
The Divine Transformation Cave was several hundred meters deep, with torches lit all along the way.
About half an an hour later, everyone reached the bottom.
The bottom was unexpectedly vast, where the roots of the Divine Transformation Tree were deeply rooted. Surrounding the tree were swathes of dark red seeds, with some showing signs of splitting.
"The relief team has finally arrived."
A group of people stood by the Mutation Transformation Flower seeds. Upon seeing Shi Xiaole and the rest, they quickly bowed their fists and hastily fled the place as if escaping.
Shi Xiaole drew back his gaze and smelled a fragrance. Elder Ye and the others had already gathered their strength, prepared against any imminent danger.
This fragrance contained toxins which, although not potent, could still catch even an expert off guard.
"Stand in your positions and act swiftly."
Elder Ma commanded the hundred martial artists.
Mutation Transformation Flower seeds bloom in no more than three hours, sometimes only requiring one hour, and the recovery time is even shorter, requiring only a few breaths. Therefore, martial artists must constantly suppress the vitality of the seeds, resting no more than one hour at a time.
The hundred martial artists divided into two groups. The first group attacked the seeds for a quarter of an hour, after which the second group took over in a continuous cycle.
The reason they did not attempt to burn the seeds was that the mist produced by combustion was even more dangerous than the pink miasma. If it were allowed to spread, the consequences would be unimaginable.
As supervisors, Shi Xiaole and the others each chose a direction and sat cross-legged. Under normal circumstances, they would not take action unless it was a significant event.
In theory, no significant events should occur in such a scenario. However, based on the behavior of the people before, Shi Xiaole still held some suspicion.
Time passed in a hurry.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
One day, Shi Xiaole felt a surge of energy emanate from his body, which finally turned into a light breeze and blew out.
Second layer of Dragon Gate Realm.
Upon the second month of arriving in the Boundless Flower Prison, Shi Xiaole’s cultivation had finally completely recovered to its former pinnacle.
The Karmic Conversion Skill not only absorbed the internal energy of people, but it was also a type of powerful internal strength. Long-term cultivation had a more significant effect than the Faceless Divine Skill.
"Did Deputy City Lord Shi break through his cultivation?"
Elder Ye and Elder Ma awakened one after another, looked at each other, and both were somewhat shocked.
They did not know Shi Xiaole’s exact age, but they were certain he was not more than thirty years old. A thirty-year-old martial artist in the second layer of the Dragon Gate Realm would be considered a brilliant genius even outside.
It was peaceful inside the Divine Transformation Cave. Except for meal times and rest, few people talked.
With just half of the three-month mission time remaining, a faint buzzing noise began to echo inside the cave.
"What’s happening?"
Shi Xiaole was the first to open his eyes.
Elder Ye stuttered a bit, then his face turned pale out of fright and he cried out, "Run!" He sprang from the ground and started running towards the cave’s exit.
Elder Ma and the hundred martial artists were a beat slower, but they also ran for their lives, disregarding the Mutation Transformation Flower seeds.
A jade green starlight arrived later but got ahead, quickly rushing to the front. Shi Xiaole might be curious, but in such a situation, he wouldn’t let his curiosity get the better of him.
Not long after everyone had fled, a massive wave of darkness gushed out from a large hole at the base of the tree roots. Looking carefully, it was a swarm of Black Bees.
The bees, attracted by the aroma in the air, covered the Mutation Transformation Flower seeds like a layer of soil, and after a brief moment, burst out and surged towards the exit.
The Mutation Transformation Flower seeds, which everyone had struggled with, turned out to have lost a thick layer.
As they neared the cave’s entrance, Shi Xiaole rushed forward, only to be held back by an invisible wall. He swung out his sword creating waves in the air, but they only brushed against the barrier.
"Qiankun Hand!"
From behind, Elder Ye slapped his palms toward the cave mouth, but the force seemed to stick to the entrance and disappeared into thin air.
"Who the hell dared to activate the Array System? Someone get it deactivated so that we can get out!"
Elder Ma’s face turned red with rage. He attacked the entrance and roared in fury.
The array system at the entrance was specifically designed to stop the Black Bees. Typically, it would only activate when an alarm sound was heard. What was happening now?
Everyone desperately attacked the array system, but it was as solid as a rock, remaining steadfast.
"Deputy City Lord Weng, this..."
Outside the Divine Transformation Cave, a group of guards looked at Weng Ming.
"Stop staring and check the Array System quickly. Restore it as soon as possible. If anything happens to the people inside, you’ll have to answer to me!"
Weng Ming scolded them angrily, but inside, he was overjoyed.
The Array System had been set up for many years and required regular inspections to prevent failures at critical moments.
Over the past few days, Weng Ming had used some excuses to procrastinate and significantly impede the inspection process. He wanted to try his luck. Little did he expect that his luck was so good that he would encounter the Black Bees leaving their nest.
Those bees were as hard as iron, and their attack power was terrifying. Even the City Lord would not be able to handle a swarm of bees. The kid named Shi was dead for sure!
What’s more, he had slowed down the process to stabilize the Array System. Who would have known that the Black Bees would appear? So, if anything happened to the people inside, it had nothing to do with him.
