Chapter 200: Mu Jiu and Olara
Chapter 200: Mu Jiu and Olara
In the Phantom City, the Cloud Messenger produced a key and unlocked the chamber where the Divine Flame was kept.
"Hmm..."
The heavy stone door creaked open, sending dust flying as it revealed the spacious interior of the chamber.
The chamber was constructed with giant wooden beams supporting the dome-like ceiling, walls made of stacked stones, and the floor paved with a material resembling jade.
Simple, yet sacred.
This place was considered a holy site by the inhabitants of the Phantom City, a sanctuary that had protected their ancestors for generations.
Despite being enclosed, the chamber was never short of light.
A human-sized flame hovered a meter above the ground, burning silently and emitting a radiant glow.
The Divine Flame!
"When the gods fell to the earth, the Divine Flame descended upon the world. The all-devouring serpent will eventually consume that shattered red moon!"
Accompanied by a melodious chant, a tall woman glided past the crowd and approached the Divine Flame.
Her eyes shone with a divine light as she scrutinized the flame.
"Seventeen years!"
"Without Divine Marrow as fuel, it will burn for a maximum of seventeen more years before it will extinguish."
"Cloud Messenger."
The woman turned slightly with a hint of displeasure.
"That's not quite what you told me."
"Seventeen years?" The Cloud Messenger's face paled:
"Olara, please forgive us for not precisely calculating the burning time of the Divine Flame. We can only estimate."
"Based on its previous burning rate, we feel it has over twenty years left."
"A feeling?" Olara shook her head:
"In this world, the least trustworthy thing is one's feelings. But seventeen years it is!"
She didn't dwell on this issue, as twenty years and seventeen years were not that different.
Taking the Divine Flame from this place and enhancing her own in the Phantom City was the real priority.
"Thank you, Olara."
The Cloud Messenger heaved a sigh of relief and stepped aside, allowing the group behind her to enter.
"These people are all talented individuals from our Phantom City, skilled in crafting runes, mineral exploration, and even cultivating Meat Bugs."
There were over a dozen people, including Lulu, each with a nervous expression, huddling together as if to calm their tension.
Olara smiled at the crowd:
"There's no need to be nervous. Mu Jiu Phantom City has always welcomed talented individuals to settle here."
"Once you arrive, you'll be assigned separate residences and laboratories, with food provided daily..."
"Mu Jiu Phantom City has chefs who can make soft bread and hot milk, things you've probably only heard about."
At these words,
The crowd's faces lit up with fervor.
"We've heard about it." Someone nodded vigorously, saying:
"Mu Jiu Phantom City has a population of over ten thousand. There, people live well, without worries about survival."
"It's like..."
"The legendary Divine Realm!"
"Hmph..." The word 'Divine Realm' brought a hint of sarcasm to Olara's face, but she quickly suppressed it:
"Most of what you've heard is true, but Mu Jiu Phantom City doesn't support idleness. Without skills, life there will be just as challenging."
"Of course!"
"Your talents will undoubtedly improve your living conditions compared to here."
This news excited the crowd, their faces glowing with anticipation.
"Wonderful!"
"I've long heard the legends of Mu Jiu Phantom City. People there even sleep with soft, fluffy blankets."
"Really?"
"It must be true. I've heard the same."
"..."
Amidst the excited discussions, Mai Jin stood out as an oddity, silent and unmoved.
"Olara."
The Cloud Messenger pulled Mai Jin, giving him a flattering smile:
"He's Mai Jin, the one who usually manages this Phantom City, and he has great potential to become a Messenger."
"Quickly..."
"Pay your respects to Olara."
"I've met Olara." Mai Jin forced a slight smile:
"Hmm." Olara nodded:
"I know you're Bowen's most outstanding disciple. You've made the right choice."
"What a pity!"
She glanced outside, shaking her head in regret:
"Bowen is quite talented, the most sought-after talent in Mu Jiu Phantom City. Yet, he refuses to leave."
"Foolish!"
"Indeed." The Cloud Messenger quickly agreed:
"Bowen has great potential in cultivation, but he's stubborn. Even if he avoids trouble now, he'll eventually face consequences."
"Right..."
"Divine Messenger Ora, can that place really... restrain him?" He wanted to say 'kill', but thinking of their years of friendship, he couldn't bring himself to say it.
So he chose the word 'restrain'.
"Rest assured." Ora glanced at him, a smile playing on her lips as she spoke, "There's a Nightmare-Level Abomination with three heads at its peak there. He won't survive, and even if he does come back, you won't have to be afraid."
"I'll be there."
"Yes." Divine Messenger Cloud forced a smile, "With Divine Messenger Ora here, nothing will go wrong."
Ora turned and walked towards the Divine Flame, stopping at a spot close to it.
The burning flame had no heat, yet it could consume what it touched.
Even a Divine Messenger was no exception.
"Swish!"
Ora reached for a stone hanging at her waist, and a thick branch appeared in her palm.
Holding the branch, she cautiously approached the Divine Flame.
"Whoosh..."
The moment the branch touched the flame, it flickered and was drawn onto the branch.
The branch, enveloped by the Divine Flame, began to burn, but not at a rapid pace.
"That's it!"
Ora's face lit up with a smile, "As long as we reach the Wood Nine Illusory City within five days, we can merge this flame with the one there."
"Let's go!"
Ora turned and quickly stepped outside, where she snapped her fingers, and a piece of white bone fell to the ground.
The bone grew in the wind, transforming into a bone dragon over ten meters long in the blink of an eye, with simple seats on either side of its back.
"Get on!"
Ora waved her hand, signaling, "Let's go!"
One by one, the group climbed onto the bone dragon, with MacKin being the last to leave the ground. He took one last look at the place he had lived for decades.
Phantom City...
The Inner City was filled with infants and toddlers, their laughter and playfulness echoing clearly.
Soon,
Without the protection of the Divine Flame, they would all perish at the hands of the Abominations, and the Phantom City would be reduced to ruins.
MacKin opened his mouth, a bitter feeling rising in his heart, and tears flowed from his eyes uncontrollably.
"Forget it!"
Divine Messenger Cloud whispered in comfort, "After all these years, have you not seen enough death?"
"Everyone has to walk this path. Look forward, don't look back. Many of the obstacles will be left behind."
"..." MacKin's voice was hoarse, "Yes."
"Huff..."
A gust of wind hit their faces as the bone dragon, under the control of Divine Messenger Ora, took off and soared towards the clouds above.
The Phantom City below grew smaller at a visible rate.
"Stop!"
Just as the bone dragon was about to leave the Phantom City's range, a hurried and angry roar echoed from a distance.
"I said, stop!"
"Boom!"
The clear sky suddenly filled with dark clouds, and thin arcs of electricity flickered within.
The bone dragon, flying high in the sky, seemed to sense a powerful pressure, and its movement abruptly halted.
"Divine Messenger Bowen!"
"Mentor?"
"How did he come back?"
The familiar voice and aura caused everyone's faces to change, and even MacKin's heart stirred with a hint of joy.
"Bowen?"
Ora stood up at the head of the bone dragon, frowning as she looked at the two figures rushing towards them, her face filled with confusion, "You're not dead?"
"Of course, I'm not dead!" Bowen shouted, then paused, "Why are you asking that? Could it be... you knew there was a Crystal Abomination in that ruined city?"
The answer was obvious.
"Divine Messenger Bowen!"
Bowen's face darkened, "You dare betray the Phantom City? Do you know that taking away the Divine Flame will doom everyone?"
"Bowen."
With things having come to this point, Divine Messenger Cloud stood up and declared, "You know in your heart that the ancestors' prophecy was false, and this Phantom City is destined to perish."
"Let's go now; we can still save some of the bloodline. In another decade or two, everyone will die with you!"
"Nonsense!" Bowen flew into a rage, his body transforming into a bolt of lightning as he charged forward, "I'll kill you!"
"Hmph!"
Ora narrowed her eyes and met him head-on, "I didn't expect you to escape the Crystal Abomination, but it doesn't matter. I'm here to finish you!"
"Swish!"
A white-robed wizard named Karl appeared before her, smiling faintly, "I'll be your opponent."
(End of Chapter)
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