Chapter Twenty-Five: An Encounter

Sea of Flowers, a pure land, beautiful and dreamlike.

Above the clear river, the air suddenly split open, and a rather disheveled figure tumbled out, rolling straight onto the lush, verdant grass by the bank.

It was a young boy, his entire body charred and reeking, enveloped in a blaze of black flames. This was a dark curse energy, swarming like countless ants, densely tangled across his body.

“It hurts!”

His voice was full of frustration and anger.

Fengshang grimaced in pain, his face pale, ten fingers clenched tightly as he summoned the power of creation from nothingness, relentlessly erasing the traces of time from his body.

“What a powerful ancient curse of darkness.”

An ancient scroll hovered above the boy’s head, and a grave voice belonging to Qing’e spoke, “Your disguise was flawless and you succeeded many times, but that Yuling was pushed to the brink and hid a fragment of her soul within the Divine World Scroll.”

“Damn that Yuling!”

Fengshang was so vexed he nearly coughed blood.

Just now, the usually invincible power of creation from nothingness failed him for the first time. That cunning nine-tailed Yuling had concealed a soul fragment within the scroll!

When the power of creation from nothingness brought the severely damaged Annihilation Scroll before the real Fengshang, the soul spirit launched a sudden attack.

At that moment, Fengshang was terrified, utterly caught off guard. Qing’e’s Howling Universe Scroll immediately stepped forward, blocking most of the force. Regaining his senses, Fengshang hastily threw out a multitude of treasures to defend himself, and with the added protection of creation from nothingness, he barely managed to escape the black prison.

Even so, he was gravely injured.

The sound of gnawing was incessant, the black curse runes penetrated everywhere, frantically burrowing and attaching themselves, their speed so swift it made one’s scalp tingle, as if the next moment they would devour Fengshang entirely.

Fortunately, a layer of luminous, pure divine energy steadfastly guarded the surface of the boy’s skin, radiating sacred power, hindering the curse’s infiltration and causing wisps of foul black aura to dissipate.

The power of creation from nothingness had once again saved its master.

Softly, divine light surged gently and powerfully, altering the flow of time in this place. The black curse runes were relentless, devouring everything, but under this incredible weakening of time and space, they were compelled to slowly fade away.

This change was heartening, signifying the hardest period had passed. With the cleansing of divine light, the dark curse would eventually be washed away.

“Why isn’t it over yet?”

Fengshang gasped for breath, black crusts constantly falling from his body—hot, dry, pitch black, hardened like fossils weathered for years, and exuding a foul odor.

“You should be grateful. This ancient curse is mysterious and terrifying, even the strongest in the realm of light would perish. Yet the power of creation from nothingness is one of the few divine energies that can perfectly resolve it,” Qing’e said.

“Fine.” Fengshang’s expression soured; thinking back on this ordeal, he felt a lingering dread.

The soul of the nine-tailed Yuling didn’t only carry a dreadful curse; it also contained thirty percent of her pressure. When all that ignited at once, it tore apart half the world of the black prison.

In desperation, he threw out a vast array of Exploding Sun Scrolls, Reverse Scrolls, and Invulnerable Scrolls—all rare and precious treasures. Now, the thought made his heart ache.

“Old Turtle of the Star Sea, Nine-tailed Monster of the Flower Sea, just wait. When my strength grows, I’ll settle scores with you both.”

Fengshang gritted his teeth, a hateful light flashing in his eyes. From now on, another name was added to his list of vengeance.

Gradually, as the divine light spread and darkness receded, Fengshang’s complexion was no longer as pale. He breathed in the fresh air deeply.

Suddenly remembering something, he opened his palm and stared at the utterly ruined black Annihilation Scroll, his lips twitching.

It was the greed for this broken scroll that cost him so dearly.

Examining it suspiciously, Fengshang doubted whether even Grandpa Nine Mad, master of divine scroll arts, could repair it.

“That venomous Yuling was willing to gamble the Divine World Scroll in the end, not only because my words provoked her and she lost control, but mainly because this scroll was too severely damaged,” Fengshang sighed.

The ancient black Annihilation Scroll was now only a third of its original size. It was hard to imagine what fierce battle had left it so utterly destroyed.

On the dark golden surface, faintly visible were a dozen sharp lines forming a mysterious creature howling amid dark mist. One could imagine it once dominated countless realms, overlooking the universe.

Alas, its glorious days were gone; its peak was no more.

Now, it was truly ruined.

Even Qing’e was speechless. As he put it, the scroll spirit’s remnant soul within had been dormant for countless years, barely clinging to life.

Aside from its sharp, hard edges that could serve as blades, the scroll was otherwise useless for now...

“Still, it’s a Divine World Scroll. Even in such a sorry state, I’ll keep it and show Grandpa Nine Mad someday.” Fengshang shrugged.

At this moment, his entire body was shrouded in misty light, the ground piled thick with black crust. After the cleansing, he was refreshed, free of odor and filth, his eyes sparkling with vitality.

He stood tall and stretched.

His mood, surprisingly, wasn’t too bad.

Though he had suffered greatly, his efforts had not been wasted. He had gained the Ancient Child, the Legacy Golden Book, the Sky Flash Soul, and even the battered old Annihilation Scroll.

If not for the nine-tailed Yuling’s final trap, the harvest would have been so plentiful that he would have rejoiced for a long time.

“Where in the Flower Sea am I?” Fengshang looked around. “Hmm, what rich fragrance—its effect is equal to the fruit of the Ten Thousand Divine Trees. Wait! There’s even the primordial breath of heaven and earth suffusing this place, a treasure aura that can extend one’s lifespan!”

Fengshang inhaled the surrounding air deeply, all his pores opening, his spirit brimming with energy, instantly replenished and overflowing.

For those who feed on divine essence, their spirits never perish.

The atmosphere filling this space was pure and wondrous. As the saying goes, miraculous elixirs resurrect the dead and restore flesh to bones, and some rare treasure auras possess the same power.

“Could I have landed in the sacred land of the Flower Sea?”

Fengshang paused, sensing something, and slowly turned around.

In the distance, a thousand fragrances drifted, myriad flowers swayed.

Amidst a beautiful sea of blossoms, at the center stood a tall immortal stone, its surface flowing with radiant energy, immaculate and pristine. A pair of clean, delicate snowy feet hovered there.

Fengshang was stunned.

His gaze followed the snowy feet upward.

Seated atop the immortal stone was a young girl, about eleven or twelve years old, holding a peculiar green blade of grass, blinking curiously as she gazed at him.

She was delicate and pure, her bright eyes shining—seven parts like clouds and mist, the remaining three shy as the breeze. Her light blue hair gently swept to her ear, truly an ethereal beauty untouched by the dust of the world.

Fengshang’s breath caught.

How could such a lively girl exist in this world, so untainted by worldly cares, pure and flawless?

A vague feeling rose in the boy’s heart. In this strange sensation, he seemed to understand the meaning of beauty—an unfamiliar emotion that left him wistful, yet eager to escape it.

“Who are you?”

Fengshang stepped back, a sharp light flashing in his eyes, raising his brows in wary vigilance toward her.