chsdbacks Chapter 75 Soul Flame Flower, 2nd Ring Heroic Spirit
Chapter 75 Soul Flame Flower, 2nd Ring Heroic Spirit
Rolin advanced inward along the edge of the Sinking Forest, the [Glimmer Purification Field] acting like an invisible bubble, repelling the unpleasant haze.
With Bahamut's help from high altitude, although visibility was still affected by the gray fog, it was much better than before, allowing him to detect larger undead gathering points in advance and guide Rolin to avoid them.
The search process is slow and meticulous.
The growth conditions for the Soulflame Flower are demanding, requiring a delicate balance between negative energy and life energy.
Luo Lin focused his mental energy within the force field, like the most precise probe, carefully sensing every slight change in the surrounding energy.
He discovered that the negative energy within the Sinking Forest was not evenly distributed.
Some areas are exceptionally dense, with piles of bones forming small vortexes of negative energy. In such places, not only can Soul Flame Flowers not survive for long, but even the lowest-ranking undead cannot survive for long; they will be assimilated or torn apart by the excessively pure negative energy.
In some areas, negative energy is relatively scarce, and occasionally one can sense a faint trace of life remaining from deep underground or from certain special skeletons.
He focused on these areas where negative energy was relatively scarce, yet there were subtle signs of life fluctuations.
During an exploration of a giant animal skeleton half-buried in the mud, Roland's mental energy detected something unusual.
The location of the skull was no different from other places in terms of negative energy, but inside it, near what might be the brain core, there was a faint, extremely subtle, warm and pure energy fluctuation that was completely out of place with the cold negative energy around it.
A thought struck him, and he cautiously approached.
This animal skeleton was extremely large, with a head the size of a small house, empty eye sockets, and an aura of age and death.
After circling the skull, I finally sensed the source of the warm fluctuation near a crack close to the back of the neck.
Through the crack, he saw a small cluster of crystal-clear, white-glowing, grass-shaped magical plants growing inside the skeleton, near the spine.
Rooted in decaying bones, they radiate pure life energy, a stark contrast to the surrounding deathly atmosphere.
"Bone-Cleansing Grass".
Rowling recognized the strange magical plant.
They grow only on extremely high-quality undead skeletons, feeding on the residual essence and negative energy within the skeletons and transforming it into pure life energy. They are precious materials for crafting some advanced purification and life potions.
Although it is not the Soul Flame Flower, the appearance of the Bone Purifying Grass confirms that the boundary between life and death can indeed exist in such extreme environments.
Their existence indicates that this beast skeleton was extremely powerful in life, and that even after death, the skeleton still contains enormous energy to support the growth of the Cleansing Bone Grass.
I carefully collected a few of the best-looking *Clematis chinensis* mushrooms and sealed them in a specially made jade box.
These were unexpected gains, and they are quite valuable.
Rowling then continued his exploration.
Over the next two days, with the help of the [Glimmer Purification Field] and Bahamut, Rolin discovered two more locations where Cleansing Bone Grass was growing, as well as several rare mosses and lichens with dark or soul attributes that only grow in the Deathwhisper Swamp.
He collected samples from each one and preserved them carefully.
However, the whereabouts of the Soulflame Flower remain elusive.
Rolin realized that although the Sinking Forest was dangerous, it might not be the best place for the Soulflame Flower to grow.
The negative energy here is too domineering and singular, lacking the delicate balance of life and death intertwined and mutually transforming.
The Soulflame Flower may require a more complex energy environment.
He decided to expand his search area, leaving the relatively familiar Skull Forest and venturing deeper into the swamp to explore the unknown areas that Old John had vaguely described in his notes and marked as extremely dangerous.
This process is even more dangerous, as the terrain of the unknown areas is complex and varied, and may hide more powerful undead or bizarre spatial traps.
Rowling became more cautious and slowed down his pace.
He continuously adjusted and optimized the [Glimmer Purification Field], attempting to reduce its mana consumption or enhance its sensitivity to specific energies.
Although progress was slow, the process of constantly adjusting and improving the spell in dangerous environments deepened his understanding of it.
That day, he went upstream along a black stream that emitted a foul stench. Based on his energy perception, the source of the stream might be an energy anomaly.
In the mud on both sides of the stream, one can occasionally see pale white arm bones protruding out, slowly scratching, which is terrifying.
Suddenly, an extremely strong warning came from Bahamut!
The Dark Gold Eye locked onto the upstream direction of the stream, conveying an intense and suffocating sense of danger!
Luo Lin immediately stopped and focused all his energy on suppressing his aura. He also compressed the [Micro-Light Purification Field] to its minimum range, maintaining only basic breathing purification.
He hid behind a huge, hole-filled black rock and cautiously peered upstream.
Several hundred meters away, the stream formed a small pool in a relatively open depression.
In the center of the pool stands an unusually large skeleton, which appears to be the remains of an ancient behemoth. Most of it is submerged in the water, with only its spiked back and a small part of its head visible.
And on the very top of that skeletal skull, a plant was quietly blooming.
Its entire body is a translucent, dark blue color, and its shape resembles a dancing flame, yet it also possesses the supple texture of a plant.
The edges of the petals shimmered with tiny silver lights, like the condensed light of a soul.
It has no leaves; its roots are directly embedded in the massive skeletal skull, drawing nutrients from it.
A pure yet chilling spiritual energy and a strange vitality emanated from it, forming an eerie balance and resonance with the surrounding dense negative energy.
Soulflame Flower!
Rowling's heart skipped a beat; they had finally found it!
But at the same time, he also saw the presence guarding the Soul Flame Flower.
It was a tall figure with a blurred outline, wearing tattered ancient armor.
It is not a physical entity, but a spirit formed from concentrated negative energy and powerful fragments of the soul.
An ancient warrior spirit with at least the strength of a second-circle wizard!
Holding a two-handed greatsword also made of energy, it hovered silently beside the Soulflame Flower, two deep, ghostly blue soul flames burning in its empty eye sockets, as if guarding this strange plant.
Even from hundreds of meters away, the powerful pressure made Rolin feel breathless.
This heroic spirit is far beyond his current ability to confront head-on.
The initial joy of discovering the Soul Flame Flower was quickly replaced by the heavy pressure brought by the guardian spirit.
Luo Lin held his breath, suppressing his aura to the extreme, and compressed the [Micro-Light Purification Field] to the point where it could only sustain his breathing, to avoid attracting attention due to energy fluctuations.
His gaze was fixed on the center of the pool.
The pale blue Soul Flame Flower stood out starkly against the gray swamp backdrop, like a lonely lamp of life in a land of death.
The tall, imposing spirit beside it seemed to be a loyal guardian of the lamp, radiating a chilling aura.
Forcibly seizing it is absolutely not an option.
That spirit's strength was at least at the second ring, and its energy intensity and combat skills were far beyond what a current first-ring wizard like myself could contend with.
The outcome of a direct confrontation is a foregone conclusion.
We must outsmart them!
Luo Lin's mind raced as he analyzed the situation before him.
Heroic spirits are spiritual beings, and conventional physical attacks and acid-based spells have little effect on them.
Holy Light runes might cause some damage, but given the difference in strength between the two sides, a few Holy Light runes are unlikely to seriously injure the opponent; instead, they will likely enrage it completely.
The Soul Flame Flower seems to have some special connection with the skeleton of this ancient behemoth and this heroic spirit.
The spirits of heroes are protecting it; perhaps this flower also holds significant meaning for the spirits themselves.
Can this connection be utilized?
Or, create an unexpected event that will attract the attention of the Heroic Spirits, and seize the Soul Flame Flower in the process?
One solution after another appeared in my mind, only to be quickly rejected.
Faced with an absolute disparity in strength, many tricks and shortcuts seem pale and powerless.
Instead of taking any rash action, Luo Lin chose to continue observing from the shadows.
We need to better understand the opponent's behavior patterns and the details of the surrounding environment.
Time passed little by little.
The spirit remained suspended beside the flower of soul flames, like a sculpture, with only the ghostly blue soul fire in its eye sockets flickering slowly.
It doesn't seem to have a fixed patrol route, but its sensing range is definitely not small.
A few low-level vengeful spirits, oblivious to the danger, drifted near the pool. Before they could even get close to the Soul Flame Flower, the heroic spirit casually swung his greatsword, and the invisible waves swept by it instantly annihilated them.
Clean and efficient, without any effort.