Chapter 1212 The Mysterious Gourd Vine
Not long after that, Ji Xingyao, Zhen Yunfeng and the others returned.
Their expressions were a mix of joy and satisfaction. Clearly, the chase just now allowed them to unleash the repressed anger and frustration in their hearts.
However, except for Ji Xingyao, everyone else’s gazes turned complicated when they saw Lin Xun.
Before this, they all treated Lin Xun as Jin Duyi and they had built an unusual sense of trust towards Jin Duyi during the operation.
But Lin Xun’s true identity completely took them off guard and left them unsure how to deal with the situation.
Especially now that the battle was over and they had to directly face Lin Xun again.
“I have heard a lot of rumors about you, Brother Lin. At that time, I felt only disdain towards you and I even planned to curb your arrogance if we were ever to meet.” Zhen Yunfeng was the first to break the silence. “Who would have thought that I was too naive? A person like you, Brother Lin…among your peers, I believe only very few can compare to you.” His voice was low with disappointment but also a hint of respect and relief.
This was already regarded as high praise.
After all, Zhen Yunfeng was not an ordinary person, but instead an ancient-era eccentric genius from the Hidden Holy Land North God Holy District and was known for his incredible strength.
The fact that he was able to calmly and openly express his true feelings proved that Lin Xun had earned his admiration with his actions.
“I lost to the famous Demon God Lin, that’s not bad,” Zhan Luxiu said aloud.
When they first met, Lin Xun had defeated him with one move, and this had always been a thorn in his flesh.
But now, he fully accepted it.
The others also spoke one after another, and the atmosphere became harmonious again.
Even though Lin Xun had disguised his identity from them, he had not done anything harmful to them.
He even saved Yin Xue and opened up a passage into the tomb world for them.
Even during the operation of seizing Origin Dao Fire, he showed a noble character and unquestionable integrity by letting Zhen Yunfeng and Mo Tianhe to obtain an Origin Dao Fire first.
Based on that, how could Zhen Yunfeng and the others not think highly of him?
“Ah, I have to accept it.”
Mo Tianhe was undoubtedly the most irritated. Not only had Lin Xun violently beat him once, but he had also taken all his treasures.
But now, he couldn’t find the confidence to challenge Lin Xun and could only let go of the past.
Swoosh!
Lin Xun tossed a storage bracelet to Mo Tianhe and smiled. “This belongs to Brother Mo. I’m now returning it to its original owner. Take a look, is there anything missing?”
Mo Tianhe was taken aback at first, then he looked visibly moved. Finally, he drew a deep breath and laughed, “There’s no need to look at it. I, Mo Tianhe, completely accept defeat based on Brother Lin’s generosity and broadmindedness!”
Everyone else nodded with agreement.
Ji Xingyao quietly watched on, feeling rather uneasy.
Both Zhen Yunfeng and Mo Tianhe were proud and unyielding characters.
Perhaps, Lin Xun had the foundation to crush them, but it was still extremely difficult to make them admit defeat!
……
Without further delay, Lin Xun and the others took action.
On the way, Lin Xun told everyone about his friend Toady’s situation and his plan to rescue him. He originally did not want to bother everyone with his own personal matters.
Who would have thought that neither Mo Tianhe, Zhen Yunfeng nor the others wanted to withdraw from the operation? They even expressed that Lin Xun should not treat them as outsiders if he regarded them as friends.
Lin Xun smiled in response and did not bring it up again.
Over the years in the Ancient Wasteland Domain, Lin Xun had made only a handful of friends.
Although his friendship with Zhen Yunfeng, Mo Tianhe and the others had yet to reach the level of risking life and death for one another, it was still better to be friends than enemies.
And for Zhen Yunfeng, Mo Tianhe and the others, was it not a blessing to become friends with the fierce and powerful Demon God Lin?
Given their identity and status, they did not care how many enemies Lin Xun had, or whether they would be dragged into his enmity!
This was absolute confidence.
If it were other cultivators, even if they sincerely respected and admired Lin Xun, they would no doubt cut off all ties with him at the possibility of being implicated!
Before long, following the clues provided by the big black bird, Lin Xun indeed discovered a tower.
The tower was shaped strangely like a large furnace and made up of countless black boulders. The entire body was mottled as though it had been stranding for countless years, exuding a feeling of age and history.
As soon as they got closer, a wave of incredibly hot air slapped their faces and a burning sensation ran all over them.
At the same time, their spirits seemed to be caught in a furnace of chaos, scorched by raging red flames.
“This tower is anything but ordinary!”
Everyone’s apprehension grew.
Given their level of cultivation, they were unafraid of water or fire attacks.
However, the closer they moved to the stone tower, the more intense the burning pain became, and the stronger the feeling of suppression inside and outside their bodies. It was very unusual.
Lin Xun shifted his gaze onto the bottom of the stone tower and saw a pair of arched doors that were as round as the symbol of Taichi and densely covered with obscure dao runes.
Toady…is he trapped inside it?
Lin Xun took a deep breath as he activated his spirit sense and the Chaofeng Eye to inspect the stone tower more closely.
Suddenly, the scenery before him changed.
Boom!
Everything in the world was extinguished; only the huge furnace continued to burn fiercely. All the latitude and longitude of the sky, the sun, the moon and the stars were completely obliterated!
The traces of time, the trajectories of space...
Nothing seemed to exist anymore. Everyone had been incinerated by the furnace.
It was as though the furnace was heaven and earth, the sun and the moon, the latitude and longitude of the sky, time and space, and everything in existence. It was the only constant, the only thing that was eternal!
Boom!
Before Lin Xun could sense it carefully, every part of him ached with stinging pain as if he was trapped in a boundless sea of fire and surrounded by flames of destruction.
Both his spirit and the state of mind felt like they were being smelted!
The next moment, he jolted back to his senses. His face had become deathly pale and he was drenched entirely in cold sweat. The furnace just now...was that the true face of the stone tower?
He glanced at the others, only to see that they were still observing and investigating the tower and seemed to not notice anything unusual.
Lin Xun took a deep breath and thought to himself. Toady never does anything without any benefits. He must have discovered some great fortune that led him to be trapped here.
“Brother Lin, is your friend trapped in this stone tower?” asked Zhen Yunfeng with a strange look on his face.
This was because he sensed that the stone tower was not at all ordinary and could be filled with unpredictable great dangers.
Lin Xun nodded. “Everyone, please wait a moment while I test it out first.”
As he spoke, he stepped forward, circulated his powers and concentrated it to the palms of his hands as he pressed them on the arched doors at the bottom of the tower.
Buzz!
To everyone’s astonishment, the door rumbled open.
Everyone was startled, and even Lin Xun was a little surprised.
“I have already disintegrated the sealing power here. You all can come in.” A feeble sigh sounded from inside the stone tower.
It’s Toady!
With one glimpse, Lin Xun spotted a lone green-robed figure sitting on the ground of the huge hall inside. It was Toady.
However, an air of gloom seemed to be hanging over his absent face.
Lin Xun was the first to step into the stone tower and asked, “What actually happened?”
“Ahh, you came a step too late. That Alpha Dao Fire has already been seized.” Bitterness was evident in Toady’s voice, and his face was clouded with disappointment.
Generally speaking, whenever Toady was angry, he would project his anger outwards by acting aggressive, domineering, and explosive.
But now, he looked depressed, which meant the blow he had suffered was very tremendous.
Alpha Dao Fire!
Those words made Zhen Yunfeng and the others inhale sharply. It was the highest-grade of Origin Dao Fire and it could only be encountered by a lucky chance.
“I’m glad you’re fine though,” comforted Lin Xun.
He felt a weight had been lifted off him. He had been most worried about Toady, and he turned out to be safe and sound.
“It’s not the same!” Toady’s voice quivered with anger and resentment. “I had my eyes on that heaven-defying fortune first, but before I succeeded, someone got there before me! Is that not frustrating?!
“Damn it, it’s that big black bird’s fault. If it hadn’t suddenly appeared and distracted me, that great fortune would now be sitting in my hands!”
At the end of the sentence, he broke out into curses.
Lin Xun’s expression altered strangely. It’s that thieving bird again!
However, we can’t blame it entirely on him. Most importantly, who took advantage of the situation and snatched away the fortune?
“Who did it?” asked Lin Xun.
“Wang Xuanyu of the Great One Sect,” Toady said dispiritedly.
“It’s him!”
Ji Xingyao and the others narrowed their eyes.
The Great One Sect was a behemoth ancient sect in the Ancient Wasteland Domain.
And Wang Xuanyu was the dazzling leader of the supreme figures in the Great One Sect.
Lin Xun had long heard about him.
Only few people could compare to him, such as Mi Hengzhen, Ye Mohe, and Yan Zhanqiu.
“Are you injured?” Lin Xun’s dark eyes were filled with coldness.
It did not matter who Wang Xuanyu was, if he touched his brother, he was on his bad side.
“No, he said that he only wants to seize fortunes and doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Do you know what it feels to hear that? It’s like your home being burgled, but the robbers said to you with a benevolent expression that they only want your money and belongings and don’t want to take any lives! This is so damn frustrating!” Toady said through gritted teeth, eyes widening with hatred.
“I understand.” Lin Xun nodded. “When I see him, I will get revenge for you.” His voice was calm but unquestionably firm.
When everyone heard this, they secretly thought to themselves, If Wang Xuanyu knew that he had offended Demon God Lin because of this, would he regret doing so?
Very quickly, they reached an answer. No!
Wang Xuanyu was no ordinary character. He was more mysterious and low-key than Wu Lingdao, the thirteenth prince of the Golden Crow Clan. But his strength was indisputable!
“Of course, the reason why I chose to stay here is firstly to wait for you, and secondly, I feel that there is something strange here!” As Toady sprang up, the gloom and frustration on his face were swept away, replaced by a spirited expression. His golden eyes shone brightly and he looked eager to get into action, as if he had become another person.
Everyone immediately shifted their attention to the surroundings.
They were inside the stone tower, which felt like a great hall with vast spaces.
Not far away was a glossy green gourd vine with rich leaves and branches that radiated abundant vitality.
“That Alpha Dao Fire was born on that gourd vine. It looked like a green gourd, but it spewed out fire that was incredibly pure, magical and as beautiful as the sky. Its grade is immeasurable.” Toady pointed to the gourd vine, his expression changing indefinitely. It was obvious that he was still very upset about the fortune being taken away.
“Why did someone else manage to seize such an obvious fortune before you?” Zhen Yunfeng asked in puzzlement.
Toady shot a sidelong glance at him before he answered, “That’s an Alpha Dao Fire. If you are not careful while seizing it, both your spirit and body could be destroyed. And when I first arrived here, this hall was full of dangers, traps and restriction powers. Do you think anyone can get their hands on their fortunes?”
The more he spoke, the more upset he was. “I spent a lot of effort and almost got into accidents several times before I was able to break the restriction powers here one by one. Who would have thought that in the end I only did the work for someone else to benefit? Damn it, that Wang Xuanyu is absolutely not a good person!”
Everyone nodded.
Meanwhile, Lin Xun was already inspecting the gourd. “The ground is as solid as metal, but a gourd vine actually grew out from it. This is indeed strange.”
“Not only that, take a look here.” Toady pointed to the roots of the gourd vine. “I have tried everything, but I still can’t pull out the roots nor can I destroy them. It is extremely strange.”
Everyone moved closer and investigated closer.
Mo Tianhe and the others even brought out weapons, treasures and secret techniques to destroy the roots, but without exception, they all failed.
The incredibly tough gourd vine was completely undamaged!
“Not to mention anything else, just this gourd vine alone is an extremely rare and magical material.”
Everyone smacked their lips in amazement.
“Wang Xuanyu also said the same thing. He tried every means to take it away with him, but he wasted his efforts.” Toady snorted coldly.
“The vine has to be extraordinary to be able to produce Alpha Dao Fire. Everyone, step aside, let me try it.”
After staring at the vine for a long while, Lin Xun decided to try it himself.
Everyone’s eyes gleamed with expectation.
Demon God Lin was known for his amazing strength, which they had personally witnessed before.
However, to their disappointment, Lin Xun also failed. The gourd vine remained as glossy green as ever, completely unaffected by any blows!
It should be mentioned that, given Lin Xun’s current strength, even Wu Lingdao, a supreme king who had set foot into the first longevity tribulation, was no match for him. But he could not do anything about a gourd vine!
This only proved that the gourd vine was extraordinary and it should be a divine being!
Suddenly, Lin Xun’s expression changed strangely.
It turned out that when he was about to try with the Broken Blade, the Broken Blade unexpectedly produced a rare and obscure ripple of response as if it was eager to give it a go.
Without any hesitation, the Broken Blade flashed in the air!
Clang!
Boundless, blinding starlight stung everyone’s eyes.
But in Lin Xun’s eyes, the Broken Blade took on a completely different form. Dao runes surfaced on its body and shrouded the green gourd vine like starlight.
The Broken Blade let out a clear, cheering-like cry while it absorbed the power and vitality contained within the gourd vine.
The glossy green vine began to dull and brown…
Soon, it withered, drooped, and turned into ashes.
Everyone was flabbergasted by the mysterious scene happening before them. The origin of Lin Xun’s Broken Blade is definitely not ordinary!
Even Toady turned to stare at Lin Xun. He wanted to say something but held back in the end.
Meanwhile, a tremendous and complex inheritance power was surging in Lin Xun’s mind.
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