Chapter 827: The Strange Stone and the Holy Spring

Plop...

The Strange Stone fell into the water.

Looking from above, the water of the Holy Spring is very clear; one can see the gray-black bottom of the pool—the bottom is also made of Strange Stone.

The Strange Stone that was dropped landed in the water, and it was no different from the other Strange Stones, nor was it any different from a small pebble falling into a pool; it sank easily, and before the water surface could even calm down, it had already landed on the bottom of the pool, immediately becoming one with the Strange Stones at the bottom.

This... this didn't work, did it?

The Son of Fire thought to himself.

However, at this moment, the Shengnyu made her move.

As the Shengnyu's hand submerged into the water and gently stirred the surface, the Strange Stone in the water finally began to change.

As for how it changed...

Actually, it was hard to tell.

It is strange to say, but the Strange Stone did not have any changes visible to the naked eye under the water, not even a shake, yet one inexplicably felt that it was changing; perhaps the surrounding Qi had fluctuated, perhaps thin, dark currents had begun to appear in the water, or perhaps the atmosphere had changed...

In short, the Son of Fire felt that a change had indeed occurred; looking at the Strange Stone from above, it was no longer clearly visible, but had become somewhat blurry, as if mist had risen around it, just like when a magician performs a real trick and needs to cover it with a curtain.

However... is that it?

Although the Strange Stone had not been fished out, the Son of Fire always felt that the process of the Holy Spring driving the Strange Stone to change was inferior to his own Divine Fire; not to mention other signs of upgrading, just speaking of speed, the changes that had occurred over this long while were still barely visible, and based on his own judgment, it was not as swift as when the gods bestowed "Strange Gold." He still remembered that back then, in just the blink of an eye, the Strange Stone, which was touted as "unchanging for ten thousand years," had undergone a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering transformation.

But he then thought that his own transformation was driven by a god, while the change in the Holy Spring at this moment was driven by the Shengnyu; isn't it only natural that a mere Mortal like the Shengnyu cannot compare to a god? However, for the Shengnyu to drive such great power with a Mortal body is also quite remarkable.

Looking at the Shengnyu's appearance, sweat was even breaking out on her forehead; it must be quite strenuous, right? It is difficult for a Mortal to touch the realm of the gods.

He was watching the Shengnyu, unaware that someone was also watching him. Ever since the Strange Stone entered the water, that Gong Xiansheng had not looked at the Shengnyu once, but instead stared at the Son of Fire with a hidden gaze; seeing the Son of Fire trying his best to conceal his disapproval beneath a calm exterior, his own heart pounded wildly, and he felt so excited that his bones went numb.

After a good while, the Shengnyu withdrew her hand and said indifferently, "That will do." At this time, her expression was very calm and her tone very detached, much like the detached, holy, and ethereal Shengnyu depicted in paintings; in reality, she was just too tired to speak.

At this moment, that piece of Strange Stone floated up on its own, drifting to the surface of the water, and the Shengnyu fished it out casually.

The Son of Fire leaned forward to look at the result of the Strange Stone in the Shengnyu's hand. The Shengnyu's hand was fair and smooth, forming a sharp contrast with the gray-black Strange Stone.

He saw that one side of the Strange Stone remained as it was, while the other side had been stained with a faint gold. If one looked at that gold alone, it would actually be hard to notice, but compared to the deep color of the side that had not changed, it was visible; the texture of the changed half had clearly altered, not only becoming slightly golden in color but also more lustrous, and it had a metallic texture to the touch.

This was undoubtedly a qualitative change, and it was an improvement in a good direction, an all-around improvement; thinking that this Strange Stone was known as the most inert material, yet it could be reborn in the Holy Spring in an instant, who could say it wasn't miraculous?

However... comparisons are odious.

If the Son of Fire hadn't just taken out that piece of Strange Gold, this pale-gold Strange Stone could have been called a rare treasure, but because he had let people see the Strange Gold that was as bright as Sunlight within the Strange Stone, the half-gold Strange Stone before them paled in comparison.

It just so happened that the three people present were all witnesses, and they all thought of this at once. The Shengnyu pursed her lips tightly; although she had just used all her strength to drive the Holy Spring and felt she had gained quite a bit, as if the bottleneck that had always troubled her had loosened a step, at this moment the result before her was clear, and no matter what, she could not be happy.

On the other side, seeing the Holy Spring pale in comparison to his own, the Son of Fire could not help but feel a little smug, but at this moment he absolutely could not show it, so he had to purse his lips tightly. Just then, he heard someone say, "Lord Hui, you are so smug—is it because your family's Divine Fire is superior to the Holy Spring?"

Before the Son of Fire could even nod, the Shengnyu broke down first. It turned out the person speaking was actually Gong Xiansheng, who had always supported and fawned over her; at this moment, he was actually stabbing her in the heart. She shouted angrily, "What strong or weak? Who saw it? Can the affairs of gods... be compared? You say the Holy Fire is strong, why don't you move the Holy Fire here and drive me and the Holy Spring out? Why don't you call the Fire Spirit clansmen to be the Shengnyu, and you go serve him!"

Gong Xiansheng was all smiles and said, "Shengnyu, do not be anxious. You are the Shengnyu who gathers the love of all gods; your strength and divine grace are both unique, and no one in the world can compare to you. What do other external objects have to do with you? Besides, the Holy Spring was also cultivated by you, step by step, to reach where it is today. What does a moment of length or shortness matter? The future is still vast."

The Shengnyu calmed down slightly and nodded, saying, "My words were abrupt just now; do not take them to heart. Sigh, although the Holy Spring has a boundless future, at present, the Holy Fire is indeed more miraculous. In this world, there is always a heaven beyond heaven and a person beyond a person."

Gong Xiansheng hurriedly said, "How could I dare. Shengnyu, would you not like to see that sacred Holy Fire with your own eyes?"

The Shengnyu said, "I naturally want to see it."

The Son of Fire thought: It's coming. So he said generously, "The Holy Fire is right inside our clan's Sheng Huo Tan. If the Shengnyu could descend to our Fire Spirit clan, our entire clan would be honored. I will lead the way for you."

The Shengnyu was clearly tempted, but immediately shook her head and said, "I cannot go. Now is a crucial moment; the High Priests are all gathered at the Wanshendian. Although the ships have already set sail, Wan Shen Gu is still a very important place, and with the Holy Spring here, I am the only one responsible for guarding this place; how can I neglect my duty?"

Gong Xiansheng said, "The Holy Spring is actually simple; as long as you are there, you can naturally take the Holy Spring with you. As for leaving... you can pretend to be in seclusion, order the knights to stand guard, and then leave quietly; no one will discover it. I have a teleportation array here, and the Son of Fire also has his own way of returning. It won't take the Lord even a day or half a day to visit the Fire Spirit clan, so I expect it will be fine."

The Shengnyu shook her head and said, "This is not a matter of who discovers it, but that I should not leave. My duty is to guard this place; if even I cannot hold my post, what hope is there for the Lingjie?"

Gong Xiansheng was slightly embarrassed, but immediately acted as if nothing had happened and said, "The Shengnyu is indeed loyal to her duty, with unparalleled integrity. Since that is the case, we can only ask the Fire Spirit clan to move their Holy Fire over."

The Son of Fire immediately said, "That won't do! Our clan's Holy Fire can only be in our ancestral land; how can it be moved around? Isn't this a blasphemy against our god? If we anger the deity and the god does not grant protection, can the Holy Fire still be the Holy Fire?"

Even the Shengnyu nodded and said, "That is indeed asking too much."

Gong Xiansheng showed a troubled expression on his face, but inwardly he was secretly laughing. He said unhurriedly, "If this is also difficult, then there is only one way to settle for the second best... Does the Lord trust me? Just let these eyes of mine look at the appearance of that Holy Fire for you, and I will recount it to you when I return, how about that?" His words were understated, and one could not hear the expectation hidden in his heart at all.

The Shengnyu hesitated slightly and sighed, "That... is the only way." This was truly taking several steps back; seeing it with one's own eyes and hearing it recounted by others are certainly different. However, if she absolutely could not go, and had to find someone to go see it for her, then even if she were to choose for herself, she would only choose Gong Xiansheng. She trusted Gong Xiansheng, including his ability and loyalty.

She turned to ask the Son of Fire, "Does your clan allow him to go?"

The Son of Fire was also a bit hesitant. The mission he received did not include leading such a person to spy on the Sheng Huo Tan without having invited the Shengnyu; he could not help but be unable to make up his mind. Although he could get a response from the god, he had to pray and then ask, and this was not real-time; how could he get an answer in a moment? He could only say first, "I think it should be possible. But this gentleman is, after all, not a citizen of the Lingjie, and there are still many taboos. Once we truly arrive at the Sheng Huo Tan, if our god does not permit it, then we cannot go against the god's will."

The Shengnyu nodded and said, "That is good, thank you for your clan's cooperation. I hope Lord Hui can also vouch for Gong Xiansheng, that he is a trustworthy Human. Forgive my rudeness, Gong Xiansheng..." She stepped back slightly, signaling for Gong Xiansheng to come over to say a few important words.

Gong Xiansheng leaned over, smiled slightly, and whispered, "Shengnyu, do not worry. I know what to look for. I also have a little gadget..." He took out an exquisite mechanism and said, "This is a Recording Stone; it can completely record images and pictures, which is very convenient and easy to use." As he spoke, he even demonstrated it slightly and immediately recorded a photo of himself.

The Shengnyu's eyes lit up. As a technology enthusiast, she did not first think of the convenience of this thing, but focused on its principles and technology, turning it over and over in her hands, and could not help but praise it repeatedly, saying, "This thing is interesting; the technology is certainly good, and the idea is also unique. Could it be that..."

She turned it over and happened to see the mark on the bottom of the Recording Stone, reading, "White Jade Gives Birth to Radiance."

She immediately beamed and said, "It really is White Jade Gives Birth to Radiance. His family's things are truly good, the quality is outstanding, and there are many ingenious ideas. The person in charge of his shop must be a genius Talisman Sword Master with an open mind and unparalleled spiritual energy. I really want to meet him."

Gong Xiansheng introduced, "I know the Shengnyu loves to use the artifacts of White Jade Gives Birth to Radiance, and I have also been keeping an eye on his shop. I originally wanted to find an opportunity to contact them and lead them to meet the Shengnyu, to abandon the darkness for the light and work for the Lingjie, but unfortunately, I have never been able to see the person in charge. That shop owner seems not to like meeting people. Now there is even less time to grind away at it bit by bit."

The Shengnyu sighed again, "I have said long ago that there are many smart people in the Human World whose wisdom is no less than that of the Lingjie; you are one, and the Master of White Jade is another, and I don't know how many more there are. If not for this crisis, I would definitely go to the Human World myself to pay a visit to these people of such refined spirit. I have no choice but to focus on the present; this time you go to the Fire Spirit clan, if it is truly as we think..."

Gong Xiansheng immediately said, "Then just like offering the Holy Spring water, I will bring it back and offer it to the Shengnyu."

The Shengnyu paused and said softly, "We are all citizens of the Lingjie, and the Hundred Races are not divided by high or low; originally, one should not forcibly seize other people's things..."

Gong Xiansheng continued, "But in extraordinary times, there must be extraordinary means. Although we take the things of their clan, it is to save all the people of the world, and this is also their merit. In the future, the Lord can compensate them well. Please, Lord, lend me some Holy Spring water."