Chapter 142: The... Girl inside the stone?

The material of that giant stone seemed quite ordinary, but the moment Feng Zi touched its surface, it actually cracked open just like that!

This couldn't help but startle Feng Zi, who muttered, "No way... is this thing really that fragile?"

Immediately, the two people present realized that the so-called "giant stone" was merely an outer shell.

The moon-white stone turned into powder, scattering onto the ground in a flurry, revealing the object wrapped within:

It was a pitted, strangely shaped rock—judging by the description alone, it looked exactly like some kind of inexplicable nesting doll.

Feng Zi took a closer look and realized:

That so-called "pitted" shape was actually countless tentacles intertwined together.

The shape of those tentacles was exactly the same as the tentacles of the strange humanoid they had eliminated.

But there was not a shred of vitality within them; it looked like nothing more than a harder piece of stone.

After observing it carefully, Feng Zi realized in hindsight that the specific form of this stone looked exactly like some kind of crude "swaddling clothes."

He had to admit that ever since he had ventured deep into this place and encountered that strange humanoid, the various situations he had encountered were not very normal.

If he were to tell others, he feared it would be taken as the ramblings of a madman.

And after seeing this scene, a thought that had only been suppressed by Feng Zi a short while ago surfaced in his mind once again:

This scene... really is very similar to the scene when I first met Qing Lin.

Of course, this is not to say that the elements of the scene are similar; after all, these two scenes have almost nothing in common.

The reason that truly made this feeling arise in Feng Zi's heart again lay in a "feeling":

He could not help but think that the various oddities he had experienced previously, including the "Fading," the mysterious mist, and the unknown humanoid, were very much like a "protection mechanism."

Thinking from this perspective, the sea of flowers he saw when he met Qing Lin had a similar function.

Thinking of this, Feng Zi stepped forward quickly, carefully probing beneath the gaps in the tentacles.

And then, he actually saw it—

A young girl with hair like frost and a pale complexion was lying quietly amidst hundreds of tentacles.

The other party's expression was so gentle, as if she were lying in her mother's arms.

Qing Lin naturally noticed the girl's presence as well and leaned in with a curious look: "The existence that triggered such a phenomenon is actually just such a young girl?"

To this, Feng Zi only nodded slightly and did not speak:

In his perception, there was no True Qi or Qi and Blood Power within the girl in the stone.

She was so weak and so ordinary, no different from the common people in this world.

But Feng Zi knew clearly in his heart that the girl before him was the source of everything.

Qing Lin naturally thought of this layer as well; before Feng Zi could speak, the hunting knife in her hand was already pressed against the girl's neck:

"It seems this is the 'source' you guessed—should we leave a live captive, or end it once and for all?"

Clearly, as long as Feng Zi showed any murderous intent, Qing Lin would not hesitate to make this girl lose her head.

Feng Zi did not rush to answer, but was calculating rapidly in his heart:

Based on common sense, if this girl were killed, the phenomenon in this place should be resolved.

But the problem is, even if this girl is truly the source that triggered everything, are the subsequent phenomena still under her control?

And how could he be sure that killing the girl would really resolve the "Fading" phenomenon?

Furthermore, unlike that humanoid that didn't even have a specific physical form, this girl at least possessed human characteristics; it was not impossible to communicate.

After thinking it over, Feng Zi just shook his head and said: "Forget it, let's not act on murderous thoughts for now; we shall try to see if we can communicate with her."

Since Feng Zi had already said so, Qing Lin naturally sheathed her hunting knife.

But she still reminded him with some unease: "But what if she is a threat..."

"Then it won't be too late to finish her off then," Feng Zi said casually upon hearing this.

Even if the girl was truly the source that triggered the phenomenon, she had no power in her body, so she would not be a major threat even if she woke up.

What's more, even if he hadn't detected the girl's "true strength," there were only the two of them here, so it would be much easier to handle.

It was precisely because of this point that Feng Zi dared to try with peace of mind.

At this, Qing Lin had no objections.

Feng Zi took a deep breath, placed his hand on the strangely shaped stone, and said to Qing Lin:

"Since that's the case, let's 'rescue' this girl first; it's not a solution to just let her lie in the stone forever."

Upon hearing this, Qing Lin nodded slightly, and then, together with Feng Zi, removed all the stone pieces covering the girl.

When they moved the girl out of the stone together, some color gradually returned to her face.

At the same time, color also descended upon their surroundings once again.

After putting down the unknown girl, Feng Zi naturally noticed this scene and said with some surprise: "It recovered so quickly?"

Having said that, he came to a giant tree that had regained its color and snapped off a branch—

Unlike when it had lost its color, now, this large tree did not dissipate because of Feng Zi's touch.

After confirming that everything around them had returned to normal, Feng Zi returned to Qing Lin's side:

"I have already informed Hanwen and the others of the situation here through my Incarnation, and had the Incarnation take them further away from this place.

"We will camp here for the time being, and once we confirm that the girl is not a danger, we will take her and rendezvous with them."

Regarding Feng Zi's arrangements, Qing Lin had never had any objections.

Thus, the two of them built a campfire here and waited for the girl to wake up.

Just like that, the sun rose and the moon set, and another three days passed.

During these three days, the girl never woke up, nor did she consume any water or food.

If not for the fact that her complexion was becoming increasingly rosy and her breathing was very steady, Feng Zi would have really suspected that she had long since died.

Just like that, time arrived at noon on the fourth day—

Qinglin used a small knife to carve the wooden sculpture in her hands that had already taken shape, and she let out a yawn, bored to tears:

"It's really so boring, how many more days do we have to wait?"

Regarding this question, Feng Zi, who was practicing his Fist Technique to the side, was also very helpless: "I don't know either, perhaps that young lady will wake up soon."

Originally, given Qinglin's personality, she would not have voiced such a complaint regardless of whether there was anything to do or not.

But whether it was Feng Zi's imagination or not, ever since he chose to have a conversation with that young girl, Qinglin had displayed a hint of... "rejection."

He naturally understood that this was Qinglin expressing her own worries, so he comforted her like this.

Just as the two were speaking, the young girl who had not yet awakened slowly opened her eyes.